Real Madrid should be able to handle Manchester City in the Champions League

The 2019-2020 Champions League knockout draw results are in, and Real Madrid will have to face Manchester City in the Round of 16.

Real Madrid drew one of the most difficult matchups possible in the Champions League Round of 16, as they will have to face Manchester City in the first round of the knockout stages in February.

Although City are coming off a streak of Premier League titles and have one of the world’s best managers in Pep Guardiola, they’ve been struggling this season. Real have had their issues in La Liga and the Champions League, including their recent scare at the Mestalla, but they are neck and neck in their league title race with FC Barcelona.

Meanwhile, City are third in the league behind Liverpool and Leicester City with 14 points separating them from The Reds.

City have been hurt by a lack of depth at center back, as Aymeric Laporte’s injury has proven to be devastating to them. Real Madrid, to be fair, rely on a few players like Karim Benzema and Casemiro to a dangerous extent, but they’ve probably withstood even more injuries than City, including a recent spell on the sidelines for Eden Hazard.

Real Madrid have drawn one of the toughest assignments in City, especially compared to the easy games against Napoli that Barca will face in February and March. But it could have been worse, since Real’s other big rivals, Atletico Madrid, will be overmatched against Liverpool.

Anything can happen in the Champions League and City are a top team, but Real have to be seen s the favorites in this Round of 16 matchup. They’ll have to worry about Raheem Sterling’s runs behind the defense and clinical finishing, and Kevin de Bruyne has been a real menace this season alongside David and Bernardo Silva.

But Real have the industry in midfield, the lockdown defending, and the magical Hazard in their side. Their young talent, specifically Fede Valverde and Rodrygo, are also difficult to touch. Los Blancos tend to beat themselves with silly defensive errors, because their most consistent issue tends to be unlocking tough defenses without Benzema’s clutch goals.

City’s weaknesses, however, are on defense, and they are not known for being a counterattacking team. Zinedine Zidane has all the ingredients in his side to handle City’s strengths and exploit the issues in Guardiola’s side, so while there are lesser teams in the Round of 16, this particular Premier League side could be a nice matchup for Los Blancos that doesn’t risk the team letting their guard down.